


Crimson Bloodline

by Starlawolf



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Look I know its vampires but theres no crazy gore and stuff I promise, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, The genre could be considered mystery, The ship is not the main focus of the fic, Vampire Hunters, Vampires, dont let the description fool you this story is deep
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2019-11-15 07:20:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18069026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starlawolf/pseuds/Starlawolf
Summary: Othello is a half-vampire just trying to live life as a normal human when a rise in attacks by feral vampires puts his safe lifestyle at stake (quite literally). When fate leads him to meet a strange man (who just so happens to be a legendary vampire hunter), an odd friendship and help from both sides may be just what they need. But things are never that simple, are they? Something strange is going on...





	1. Midnight Delivery

**Author's Note:**

> After years of plot ideas for stories and AUs, this is the first time I’ve actually come up a proper plot for one. Since I’ve finally got a great story idea, I bring you a vampire AU! I’m super nervous about posting this aaa  
> THINGS TO KNOW:  
> \- I have absolutely zero knowledge on how actual forensics works, so if anything is not accurate, I apologize ;v;  
> \- Since the ship isn’t the main focus of the fic, I wrote it very subtly so anyone can enjoy the story without me forcing my OTP into your faces. You could basically just see it as a really close friendship if you wanted too. That being said, I miiiiight add the occasional shippy side-chapter ;)  
> \- While Othello and Undertaker’s story is the main focus, there’s still plenty of other stuff happening too.  
> \- I refuse to give away too much information on how vampires work in this specific world, that’ll be found out later~  
> \- Undertaker will be “Adrian” in this story  
> That’s all. Enjoy~

The clock read 1:00 in the morning as Othello finally replaced the vial back into its holder and sighed in relief. The smell of the blood was growing extremely tempting and he would be happy to leave before his hunger drove him to do something crazy. Working overtime was one thing, but being a half-vampire was another.

As a half-vampire it made it easier for him to blend in with society and live life as a normal human. He could be out during daylight and he could eat normal food as well, but blood would still tempt him and he hated it. He knew he still needed blood to survive, but he wouldn’t. He couldn’t. It reminded him too much of what he truly was. He’d rather starve to death when the time came.

“You’re still here?” A voice spoke.

Othello realized he’d been staring at the vials. His incisors felt sharper and he urged it away, feeling them return back to normal as he spun to smile awkwardly at the man who leaned against the open doorway to his lab.

“Oh! Uh- ‘Course I am! Just doing a little extra work.” He adjusted his glasses awkwardly, realizing a little too late that his gloves weren’t the cleanest.

The man moved so that he was leaning propped up against his broom instead and Othello realized it was the new janitor, who had likely just begun his shift.

“Well, I’m glad there’s still someone here.” The janitor grumbled. “Because they need one of the ol’ bodies moved to the funeral home and I sure as hell ain’t doin it.”

“Eh?” That was not at all was Othello expected. The janitor surely didn’t mean-

“Great, its that one they brought in a week ago. The one mauled by some dog or whatever.”

“Wait! You’re not-”

The door was closed and the man’s footsteps could be heard retreating quickly down the hallway. Othello felt his eye twitch. That guy was a new janitor, so not much was known about him. Clearly, he was not a very friendly fellow and he was certainly trying to find ways out of work.

Nearly an hour or two later, he had finally tidied up and made his way to the storage where they kept the bodies. Ah that’s right, the storage was full and they did in fact need to make more room as soon as possible. Fine, he would do it. A little part of him told him to leave it as it was and let the janitor get in trouble in the morning, yet he couldn’t. Othello just couldn’t be mean no matter how hard he tried, and it would likely be the death of him one day.

He pulled back the cover slightly to peer at the disfigured face of a young woman. It had been one if many cases confirmed to be animal attacks of some sort, however he knew those bite marks to be vampire. There were vampires out there roaming the city and mauling innocent people to pieces just for sport and it was utterly horrible. Luckily none of the humans had been properly “bitten”. He feared the day one of the investigations “turned” from a bite and attacked them. Then the world would know what creatures lived among them and it would quickly dissolve to chaos among humanity. The vampire attacks seemed to have grown more frequent in the recent months and Othello feared that there was more to it than a little hunting sport.  
Othello replaced the cover in anger. There was a reason why he didn’t directly handle the bodies brought for autopsy. Luckily, the body was a few days old and whatever little blood remained that hadn’t been extracted smelled stale to him and in no way was it appetizing to even the most desperate vampire.

That asshole janitor had left the keys to the van in a perfectly convenient spot. After making sure everything was secured properly, also work for the janitor, Othello set off quickly while trying his best to follow the route that his phone gave him. He’d scrolled through all the places in the city and the only one open at this hour was… Down an old side street through crop fields and across from a church? It couldn’t possibly get any more horror-movie esque. But he himself was a creature fitting of the antagonist role in such a movie. It was a funny thought to know that any axe murderer would likely be more afraid of him, no matter how much of a cowardly excuse for a vampire Othello was.

 

The headlights of the car were the only light for miles when he pulled up in front of the old and run-down building. He considered for a moment that his GPS had directed him to a place that had been closed for years due to the state that the building was in. Still, he’d driven all this way. It was better to try at least.  
He knocked on the door, only for it to swing inward automatically due to the force of his knock. So much for safety precautions and security. He glanced around quickly. Empty coffins lay across every inch of the shop. Everything was covered with a thick layer of dust and there were cobwebs everywhere. Yet, the scent of embalming fluids and candles hung thickly in the air. The place was certainly active and open, yet whoever had purchased ownership clearly hadn’t decided to fix it up.

“Erm, excuse me? Sorry to bother you so late at night, but I have a.. delivery.” Only silence greeted him. “Um, is anyone here?”

“Hehe, a delivery? What a surprise~ I don’t get too many of those.” A face peered at him from within one of the coffins. Othello stood unshaken, despite the fact that every part of his body was screaming at him to get the hell out of there and never come back.

“Y-Yes, sir. My name is O-Othello of London’s main forensics branch.” Okay, that’s creepy.

“Othello, hm? You may call me the Undertaker~” The man finally moved the coffin lid aside and stepped out to greet Othello. He was dressed in all black, with a gray sash tied across one shoulder and a chain of golden lockets around his waist. His hair was long and silver and the bangs hung over his eyes, obscuring most of his scarred face. When the man held his hand out in greeting, the long sleeve fell back Othello noticed his nails were long and painted black. Othello concluded on first impression that he was certainly a man worthy of the title of “Undertaker”.

Hesitantly, Othello stepped forward. The Undertaker shook his hand firmly with a wide grin before letting go and stepping aside. With no further words exchanged, he nodded towards the doorway, his expression one which almost resembled a kid watching their parent buy them candy.

Othello went outside to the back of the van and retrieved the body. As soon as he had wheeled it through the door, the Undertaker tore off the cover. Othello expected to see the same childlike expression, however, the man’s entire attitude suddenly changed upon seeing the actual body. He became serious and focused as he peered closer. The energy in the air seemed to have grown suddenly tense and Othello fidgeted uncomfortably. The Undertaker ran a long nail across the multiple puncture wounds on the neck and shoulders, and down across the scratches on the victim’s face. He removed the cover further, revealing the mutilated chest of the victim which had since been sewn up to prevent anything from falling apart due to the extent of the damage. The fact that most of the Undertaker’s face was obscured by the long grey hair left his expressions unreadable, but his focus was clear.

“It was.. concluded as a wild animal attack.” Othello stated in hopes to break the tension. The Undertaker’s head snapped up and Othello jumped backwards slightly. Even though the Undertaker’s eyes were covered, he could feel the intensity of the man’s gaze on him.

“Is that so?” His tone was deeper and unwavering. It was not so much an actual question as it was an accusation. “Did anyone see this ‘wild animal’?” It was as if he were implying he knew more. Othello’s hand moved to begin clicking at the pen hanging from his pocket out of nerves and he hoped it wasn’t obvious to the man how uncomfortable he had become.

“N-no. The body was discovered much later.” Othello went along with the details he’d been told. That part was not a lie, the murderous vampire had likely fled long before the gruesome scene was discovered.

The Undertaker clicked his tongue as if in thought and replaced the cover back over the body. His entire body language seemed to change in that moment and the tension in the air was seemingly released.

“Well, I will be sure to pretty her up~” The Undertaker had taken on the same friendly tone from earlier. “You know, I’m not quite a fan of formalities. You don’t have to be all business.” He added with a slight smile.

Othello stared for a moment, surprised at the sudden change in mood, before he jumped to attention. “Oh! I’m sorry, I just thought—”

“Hehe, you intrigue me~ You seem as if you always have more behind your words than what you imply.”

“I could say the same for you.”

The Undertaker clicked his tongue again, yet a genuine-looking smile followed and Othello was able to relax a bit, though not entirely yet.

The man’s strange reaction to the condition of the body still seemed suspicious. He could be aware of vampires’ existence, so there was still reason to be weary. Or perhaps the Undertaker was a vampire himself. Though that seemed unlikely, what vampire lives near a church? It was common knowledge that vampires burn up after contact with anything of holy form. They were classified as demons, after all. Othello wouldn't dare go near such things either for fear that being half-vampire may still allow holy items to have an effect on him, thought it would likely not kill him like it would a normal vampire.

Othello realized he’d become lost in silent thought again and snapped himself out of it. The Undertaker had moved to lean casually against a coffin and was smiling at him with an amused expression.

 _Dammit, what a smug asshole_. _Why didn’t he say anything?_ Othello’s mind grumbled. _Does he find me amusing_ and _intriguing?_

“Indeed I do now.” The Undertaker chuckled and Othello felt his ears burn in embarrassment when he realized he’d been mumbling those last thoughts out loud.

“I-“

The soft and barley noticeable dawn light beginning to filter through the holes in the curtained windows of the room halted Othello’s reply.

“Early morning hours now, hm?”

The yawn from Othello that followed that statement seemed to convey a point to the Undertaker, who crossed to the other side of the room quickly and began rummaging among the shelves. He pulled out a jar that looked quite like an urn and retrieved a large bone-shaped cookie from it.

“I must say, I do enjoy your presence very much. Visit again sometime, won’t you? I want to see if you are as good with words as you are with your thoughts. Here’s a parting gift, if you may.”

He waved the cookie in Othello’s face and the latter gladly took it. Under normal circumstances, Othello would’ve been weary accepting food from random people, especially an old dog biscuit-looking cookie from out of an urn. However, he could use the sugar to keep him awake for long enough to drop off the van and get home.

He took a bite. Gingerbread? It was actually very delicious. He smiled fully for the first time since arriving there.

“Did you make these?” His eyes took on their usual bright and mischievous glint. “I guess I will have to come back.”

The Undertaker laughed again, popping one of the cookies into his own mouth as he gave a little wave of dismissal.

Othello crossed to the door before pausing in the doorway to turn and give the other man a light smile. “Until next time, my mysterious friend.”

The door then shut with a click, forcing a cold morning draft into the air of the shop.

 

 

 

Adrian watched as the young man’s van sped away down the dirt road and back towards the city. He replaced the cookie jar back on its shelf as he finally let go of his masked emotions and let his face take on an expression of surprise and interest. Brushing his hair out of his eyes, he smirked.

_So Othello isn’t a vampire._

No vampire can eat normal human food without becoming terribly sick and weakened. Adrian’s rings were also made from silver, and a handshake with a vampire would have burned them to ashes. Of course, Othello’s features were not vampire-like at all, yet one could never be so sure with the methods those creatures used these days.

Oh he would most certainly love to have such an amusing fellow back in his shop, especially after his little test results.

“I’ll be expecting to see you again, Othello~”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Undertaker is no idiot, he just hasn’t seen a half-vampire before~  
> And again, I have no clue how forensics works. Please feel free to correct me. Also feel free to correct me on any typos or mistakes too.  
> I don’t want to promise an update schedule because I suck at deadlines, so I will update whenever ready (usually at least once a month). I can guarantee that I will be finishing this, though!  
> And please let me know what you think of the story! ^ ^  
> See you next chapter~


	2. A Strange Little Group

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaa  
> As promised, another chapter!  
> This is mostly an introduction to the vampire hunters. I hope I did a good enough job explaining their “situation”.  
> Also! Quickie thing I forgot to mention last chapter: Undertaker is in no way related to the Phantomhives in this verse. Everyone who isn’t a vampire is perfectly human and this is set in modern times, so stuff like that wouldn’t work ;v;  
> Anyways, enjoy~!

When Adrian left for work that following morning, that curious little forensic scientist was still on his mind. Such an odd fellow was certainly a source of entertainment he would want to always have near him. Especially since the majority of his co-workers were boring and negative. Always too focused on their job, the lot of them.

Now, when Adrian would say “left for work”, he truly meant just walking across the road from his convenient little funeral shop to the tiny church that rested on the low-laying hill just in front of it.

Indeed, that tiny church was the Vampire Hunters of London’s headquarters.

Of course, it wasn’t a permanent location. The Vampire Hunters of London had resided in a huge old church just outside the city for decades, however, they had been discovered and invaded merley months ago and were forced to move. The church was Adrian’s idea, as it had been sitting there abandoned when he’d first occupied the also abandoned funeral home and begun work.

He knocked eight times and the large wooden door creaked open slightly. The face of Ran-Mao greeted him, her sharp eyes looking him over. She nodded, opening the door wider to let him in.

The stale musty air smelt slightly of some form of drug. A scent which always seemed to be signature to a specific person.  
“Always the first one in here, aren’t you?” Lau sat at a pew in the far right corner near the front, legs propped up in front of him as a thin trail of smoke swirled up from whatever horrid cigar he was holding. The smoke wafted upward, disappearing into the beams of morning light that streamed through the windows and creating a haze near the roof.

“I live across the street, of course I am.” Adrian answered him. He wouldn't dare ask how the drug-smoking man and his accomplice always seem to find their way there ahead of him without any evidence of travel. The pair were odd and mysterious and Adrian knew well when when such things were not the type to be questioned.

“The windows don’t open, you know.” He grumbled. That damn smell will soak into the walls.  
His only response was a shrug from Lau as the man blew another puff of smoke.

 _At least he doesn’t have the hookah with him_. Adrian sighed as he made his way over to the front of the church. Where a podium would have been lay a tattered rug with all sorts of weapons and ammo which Ran-Mao had apparently recently set out in the few moments it took him to talk with Lau. How curious, he hadn’t even felt her presence pass him on her way from one end of the church to the other.

He knelt down beside her as she picked up a double-edged dagger and a piece of sandpaper and began to sharpen and clean it. His eyes traveled over the pile. _Hm?_ Where was it?

“Your scythe is over there.” Ran-Mao commented, nodding towards the wall to the right of them.

Indeed, there it was in all its glory. His huge, scythe-like weapon, sharpened edges gleaming brightly in the morning light. It was decorated with the upper half of a skeleton wearing a crown of thorns that clung to a long and slightly curved handle. It was customized to his idea of absolute perfection. With a wild grin, he crossed over to it and began to run the tips of his nails across the blade.

“Ugh. Would you stop caressing that thing?” An irritated voice echoed through the church.

Adrian paused, turning slowly to see Ciel Phantomhive as the boy scowled at him from the partially open doorway. His grin dropped to a frown.

“You didn’t knock.” He blinked.

“Do I really need to?” The boy stared blankly.

“It’s for security, yes it is!” Came the awkward voice of Mey-Rin as she appeared behind him in the doorway, followed by Finnian and then Bardroy. The latter was holding a large rucksack over his shoulder and Adrian sincerely hoped the bag wasn’t full of the man’s favorite ammo, explosives.

The group entered, finding seats in random places throughout the pews.

“This is a church. Do you think those _demons_ can enter of their own free will?” Ciel was still loudly grumbling across the room at Adrian.

“Yours can.” The man commented back as the door finally closed and a final person set foot inside. The man in question was dressed in all black, equally dark locks of hair falling into his face. His eyes were a bright reddish-pink hue with cat-like pupils that narrowed to adjust to the lighting. He smiled, revealing sharp fangs, and bowed in greeting. A necklace of rosary complete with a cross charm swung from around his neck.

“Sebastian has special permission and you know that.” Ciel said. “He was hired by my father to protect me, remember?”

“Indeed.” Sebastian nodded. He held eye contact with Adrian, those vibrant eyes shimmered dangerously. “And all of you here know that if I were to harm the young master in any way, you have full permission to kill me as I stand.”

“And I should just kill you as you stand right now!” A loud feminine voice screeched. The door swung open, nearly smacking Sebastian across the back where he stood. Francis Midford stood in the wide-open doorway, the blade of a long sword held steady against the vampire’s shoulder blades. Sebastian blinked in surprise, clearly not daring to turn around. The formality and mysterious air he had kept was quickly lost.

“You bloody bastard.” The woman hissed. “I arrived here close behind you and Ciel. How dare you call yourself a proper man when you don’t even hold the door open for a lady!”

The look of genuine terror on the vampire’s face was enough to send Adrian rolling on the floor laughing. This wondrously serious bunch of ragtag hunters never failed to make him laugh.

“Oh, stop laughing you old creep.” Ciel rolled his eyes.

“And you, Ciel. Watch how you address your superiors!” Francis had quickly switched from ‘pissed off lady’ to ‘annoyed aunt’ in seconds.

Oh, indeed, Adrian recalled as he attempted to calm his fit of giggles. Francis Midford was Ciel Phantomhive’s aunt.

The boy’s father, Vincent Phantomhive had been one of the more brighter and joking personalities in the workplace, much like Adrian. Vincent had likely even been the only person Adrian could consider a true friend. However, the Phantomhives were well known vampire hunters and their legacy was not well hidden. Approximately 4 years ago, someone, likely vampire, tracked down the Phantomhives and killed the entire family. Apparently all but the older son, Ciel, who made it out alive with the help of a vampire betraying its own kind. The boy claimed his father had told the vampire to do so, but Adrian knew that was a lie. Vincent had hated vampires with a passion, he would never do such a thing. In fact, Ciel Phantomhive was surrounded by many obvious lies. Adrian had spoken briefly with Francis about this matter before and she had confirmed to have suspicions as well. Though her dislike of Sebastian likely just came from her overall dislike of vampires… and Sebastian’s hairstyle apparently.

The hunters had been a much bigger group too, a whole society. But after the attack on their main base months ago, many had been killed or fled out of fear. The only ones who remained were those whose entire life revolved around the job of a vampire hunter, the few who found it impossible to abandon such a lifestyle.

 _Or, of course, those who have a purpose to seek._ He thought, with a glance at the Phantomhive boy.

The boy claimed to be taking on the job to seek revenge for his family, and most of all, his little brother. Adrian scoffed. As Adrian’s thoughts returned to the present, he became aware of a distinct chatter among the others that echoed throughout the room. Ran-Mao and Mey-Rin sorted the weapons Bardroy had just added to the pile from his bag. Sebastian looked to be caught in awkward conversation with Lau, who seemed to be paying more attention to Ciel and Francis - who were bickering loudly, - than the vampire in front of him.

Adrian smiled softly. They may not be very normal people, but they certainly all knew how to do their job properly. He almost let his mind drift again before there was a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Ran-Mao who nodded in the direction of Lau. The man had finally put down his cigar and was standing upright on the pew.

“... and as I discovered recently,” He was saying, “There has been a shocking increase in murders committed by vampires!”

“We’ve known that for months.” Francis grumbled into a facepalm.

“..But! There’s a catch~” Lau continued. “All of these murders have been committed by the same two vampires.” His eyes flashed menacingly for a second and he gave a sly smirk.

“And what proof do you have of that?” Ciel raised an eyebrow. “We don’t know anyone who could help verify such a thing.”

“I trust my instincts, of course.” Lau said blankly.

The occupants of the room collectively groaned.

“..Er… Who’s ready to do some hunting!” Bardroy yelled, successfully lightening the mood as everyone would always leap at such an opportunity. Weapons were gathered as the group began to set up. Adrian remained against the wall, leaning next to his scythe.

“If only there _was_ someone who could prove such a thing… hehehe.” Adrian muttered lowly to himself, his grin growing wider by the second. “ _Someone in forensics_ , perhaps~?” He whispered as his eyes glimmered from beneath long grey bangs of hair.

_Someone who seems like the type to take the news of vampires’ existence with excitement and curiosity more than fear._

_Oh how perfect. How perfect indeed._

He had someone he needed to find.

 

 

The groups parted ways in their usual pairings. Ciel and Sebastian were dropped off in front of the London Eye, just across the river from the palace. Sebastian stood in a casual button-down jacket that covered his formal outfit, his vampire eyes covered by the colored eye contacts he wore.

Ciel stared up at the Ferris wheel-like structure with a confused expression.

“This is such a touristy spot, are we sure this is the right place, or do they just want to get rid of us faster? ... Sebastian..? Are you listening?”

The vampire was staring in a certain direction, eyes narrowed.

Just then, a horrible scream echoed through the area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ..I love torturing Sebastian.  
> And in case anyone is wondering (probably not, I just feel like overclarifying everything haha) whenever I write a scene that’s in a specific place in the city, I always choose the area near London Eye or by the palace since that’s the only place in London I remember clearly enough to envision while I write.
> 
> Again, feel free to point out any typos or mistakes!  
> Oop. If anything looks wierd, idk how Ao3 works yet. I’m still getting used to it. Sorrry sorry.  
> See you next chapter~!


	3. A Curious Case

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was having a ton of complications with inaccurate info and storytelling order when writing this chapter, so I apologize if it sounds a little weird and rushed.

Othello sat at a bench in the late morning staring at the mild burns on his right hand where he had shaken hands with that strange man. Had the man been wearing silver? Or perhaps blessed metals? Othello could consider himself lucky the effect had only been minor and not very evident, to the point that he didn’t even notice the slight pain until driving home.

The steaming cup of coffee that rested on the bench beside him was his only source of energy after the slight hour of sleep he’d managed to get after such a long night. His shift started within the next hour, so he might as well enjoy a moment.

He glanced up from his hand to gaze over the Thames, which ran along, dark and murky. He found himself wondering just how many bodies had been lost to the river, unknown to the tourist-filled boats that passed over them.

He sat back, enjoying the moment and listening to the pigeons and the chatter of tourists around him. He reached for his coffee.

Just as a scream of terror echoed along the streets.

Othello leapt up, coffee forgotten. He looked around him to make sure he wasn’t hearing things, but most people around him had all paused in their activities and conversations, their faces read different mixtures of fear, concern, and irritation.   
It seemed as if the scream came from a certain direction. Doing the most rational thing of course, he started running straight towards it.

The majority of people seemed to have resumed their activities as he ran past them, however a few ushered along faster, as if trying to quickly leave the area out of fear. At least some people had some common sense. Despite not knowing what the problem was, a small few of people still fled. They’d likely survive in any dangerous situation, while the rest would certainly not.

As he continued down the walkway, he could faintly smell fresh blood. He followed the scent down a side street and immediately noticed quite a large crowd huddled around the entry to an alleyway. The smell was stronger here, and he could tell it was quite a large amount of blood. Running his tongue across his upper teeth, he noted that his features had already reverted. _Damn_. He’d have to stay to the back to resist temptation.

The sound of sirens drew closer before a police car appeared in the street. _That was quick._

“This is law enforcement, stand back!” The crowd quickly parted to let two men in uniforms take their place at the front. The officers wasted no time and quickly began setting up police tape in order to block off the crime scene.

And they were almost finished attaching it when two people shoved their way through, practically tearing the attachments down. One of the officers moved to stop them, but the duo continued forward.

“Murder in an alleyway? How.. _typical_ and cliché.” The one who spoke was.. a young boy? A kid, probably around 13 or 14 years old with dark hair and one glaring blue eye, the other eye covered with an eye patch in a very old fashioned way. He was dressed much like a rich celebrity and his expression showed mild attitude. He looked almost like a kid who tried to dress as a pirate using entirely Gucci. It would’ve been a silly look on anyone else, but the kid pulled it off quite well.

The taller one was a man dressed in a well-tailored black suit with equally dark hair and red-ish eyes. He wore a soft smirk as he followed closely behind the boy.

As the man passed him, Othello caught onto a strange scent. A smell reminiscent of stale blood mixed with sulfur.

_The smell of a pure blooded vampire._

But that was impossible. This man’s eyes were normal, yet he held the signature unwavering scent of a _pureblood_. Half bloods had no identifiable vampire scent, so it was likely the man was unaware of Othello’s presence. But what would a full-blooded vampire want with a kid?

As Othello pondered, the boy paced around the scene and eventually knelt. Othello’s eye twitched. He himself had been forced to stay back despite how much he wanted to inspect the situation as well, yet this boy is likely nearly _touching the evidence._

One of the officers seemed to loudly voice the same concerns. “Excuse me, kid? You’re not allowed to be here. Hey, wait! What the hell are you doing? Don’t touch that!”

The second officer grabbed his co-worker by the arm and pulled him back before he could move to drag the boy away from the scene. Quickly, the vampire and kid duo stood up and left just as swiftly as they came. Not a single word was uttered as they pushed past everyone again and disappeared back down the streets.

This left what remained of the crowd of onlookers in bewilderment. All except for the second officer, quite an older looking man, who had released his co-worker’s arm and wordlessly begun to set up the police tape again. People were beginning to shuffle away quickly, likely figuring there was nothing else interesting to see or hear. Many paused to snap photos of the scene on their cell phones when the officers weren’t looking before skittering away quickly, excited to post their findings online.  
Only now was Othello able to move closer, and he leaned slightly over the tape to inspect the scene himself.

The view shocked him. The body of a young man lay still within the shadows between two buildings. From the strength of the scent, it was clear that the victim was freshly dead. However, there was no fresh blood evident around the scene that might suggest a fatal wound. He leaned closer, scanning the neck and shoulder area from a distance. Just as he thought, nearly visible beyond the shirt collar were two puncture wounds on the neck. It was strange, however, that despite the clear bite mark from a vampire, the blood in the body fully remained. Had the vampire been forced to flee when the victim’s scream drew attention? _No.. Modern vampires have taken to knocking out the victim first to prevent exactly this_. Perhaps it was purposeful? Were they trying to trick investigators? It was indeed a curious situation.

The conversation of the officers next to him distracted him, however, and he listened in with curiosity.

“Why the bloody fuck did you stop me?” The first officer, who appeared younger, was saying.

The older man sighed. “Ah. You haven’t seen that kid around because you’re newer to the field. Quite a duo, actually. They always show up at the crime scenes and inspect everything. Then they leave as quickly as they came. We let them be, no one really wants to get involved.”

“Eh? So he’s someone important?”

“In a way, I suppose. The young Ciel Phantomhive. Heir to a rich business at such a young age.”

“Phantomhive… Now that you mention it I’ve heard that name before. Hey, who’s the creepy guy with him?”

“No one really knows. Probably his butler, the rich kid.”

“Sounds like a spoilt brat to me-  
Oh! Good morning Mr. Pitt!”

The officers turned to look with friendly looks on their faces as someone else shuffled their way towards them.

“Mornin’ fellas!” A new voice trilled brightly.

A young man with scruffy-looking hair and a freckled face grinned. He wore a badge and held a large professional camera.  
The officers let him through with a few nods as the man went to crouch down beside the corpse. He paused, noticing the bite marks on the victim’s neck.

“Huh? ‘nother one o’ these? Can’t possibly be an animal at this point.” He commented with several clicks of his camera.

“People have been saying it’s vampires. Or some sort of demon.” The younger officer said with an amused snort. “Y’know, ‘cause the only pattern that links the whole thing together is that the blood’s always drained. Probably just some vampire-loving cultists. Or a really bloodthirsty dog.”

“The blood isn’t drained this time, though.” Othello added absentmindedly. Only realizing he’d accidentally been mumbling loudly enough to be heard when the man with the camera turned to him with a curious look and the younger officer regarded him with raised eyebrows.

“Ah! Terribly sorry, sirs!” Othello stood back slightly, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. “You see, I work in the forensics department and I’ve seen quite of few of these cases. You’re correct that there was no recurring pattern other than the blood being drained vampire-style. But that’s not the case here, even though it’s got the same marks.”

The older officer frowned. “Actually, that tells us the murderer must be a person and not an animal. They’re smart enough to try setting us off track.”

“The killer could also have a cult following… Or something along those lines. It could mean anything, really.” Othello replied. Though the officer was likely right.

“If someone _is_ tryin’ to set investigations off track, they’re doin’ a pretty good job.” The man with the camera, Pitt, commented.

A ringtone was heard and he paused to take out a cellphone and glance at the screen. “Oh my.. I’m a bit late for somethin’ else. Bigger news stuff than this.” He pouted almost, disappointed. “I suppose I can’t stay any longer. Well, good day, sirs!” He stood quickly, gathering his things as he ran off before anyone could speak a further word.

“My god, why is everyone is such a hurry today?” The younger officer commented after the man was out of sight. “You can’t just show up at a crime scene, take pictures, and leave!“

“...Is that not what people of his profession do?” The older officer commented, more of a remark than an actual question.

_And what everyone_ else _has been doing while you two weren’t looking?_ Othello thought with a snort. Such is the age of digital news and social media.

”But what could possibly be more important than this?! It’s not like the _Queen_ ’s doing anything special today!” The younger officer was still exclaiming.

More sirens in the distance brought them all to attention.

“I suppose I must be off as well.” Othello said. “My shift starts sometime soon.”

 

They said goodbyes and parted ways, simply men in similar fields of work exchanging business-related discussion.  
More police cars arrived and the remaining onlookers were chased out as Othello set off down the street and back to where his car was parked.

He dug around in his pocket for his phone to check the time just as the deep chiming of the clock tower began to strike 7. _Oh. Wonderful,_ he had 10 minutes to get to work or he’d get in trouble for being late.

 

 

 

 

  
“So you mean to say the blood was not drained from the body?”

“That is correct.” Ciel nodded.

Ciel, Sebastian, and Adrian were seated in the back of the parked van as they inspected the photos taken by the boy on his cellphone. It was difficult to tell from the photos, as the body had already been dead for quite some time at that point, but from the eyes of a professional, the skin certainly appeared much different from the usual pale found in vampire attack victims.

This is exactly why he kept those two on the team. No matter what, they somehow always happened upon the most interesting discoveries. What were the coincidences of being there at that exact moment in time? Such luck, it was!

“This is certainly a first!” He exclaimed. “Of course, you know what this means, don’t you?” Adrian glanced at Ciel, testing him.

Ciel nodded again. “They are probably trying to set the normal investigators off track.”

“Yes. They clearly have a hidden motive they are trying to cover.” Sebastian spoke up. “Vampires usually don’t care about the discovery of their killings. Not unless they have an underlying motive they don’t want people to discover.”

“Indeed.” Ciel commented. “The victims of these recent large numbers of killings were of all ages and genders, and they were all attacked in different ways. The only pattern found was the usual case of drained blood which alerts to a vampire as the culprit.”

”But~!” Adrian added. “Now they’re trying to mess with that pattern to both set the public off track, and confuse _us_ as vampire hunters just in case we were getting a _littleee_ too curious.  
It is both a smart move and a dumb move. They may have lost the attention of the public, but they forget _we_ are professionals! This has only made me _more_ curious~!” He finished with a giggle.

“Am I correct to assume we will be focusing on this case now?” Ciel asked.

“Oh, indeed. Indeed we will.. Something else seems to be happening, something much different and unusual. And, of course, we will put a stop to it~”

“So.. Why are we parked outside this place?” Ciel questioned.

The boy peered out the window at the building that held one of the city’s smaller forensics branches.

“Oh, no reason,” Adrian smiled. While the others we're at work, he'd spent less time than he thought to find the work van with the same license plate as the one used by that intriguing young man. Now, he was merely waiting for the familiar messy-haired scientist to appear.  
“No reason at all~”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a problem with adding in every character I can think of, especially side ones no one even remembers in the manga pfft whoops. Pitt’s quick appearance wasn’t for nothing, though, he’ll show up again ;)  
> My notes will also be shorter from here on out because I’m sure no one wants to read a paragraph of author’s notes. I talk too much. asjfhgkj


End file.
